Later today David Cameron will mark the day on which Gordon Brown had planned to hold a General Election with a big picture speech. There’s nothing dramatically new in it – just a skillful bringing together of key themes including the idea that we are seeing a change in the tide of ideas every bit […]
David Cameron will give a speech tomorrow in his constituency to mark the day that should have been a General Election. Ben Brogan also has this poster which the Tories have launched to mark the non-election. Clever. It follows yesterday’s All Trick, No Treat poster stunt. 11pm: A number of commenters below – Chad Noble […]
Every British taxpayer is familiar with Gordon Brown’s wasteful use of their money. Conservative activists won’t be too surprised – or saddened – to read this morning’s Guardian exclusive that Mr Brown wasted £1m of Labour’s own money on aborted election preparations. Much of the money, according to David Hencke who unearthed the figures, was […]
One week after Labour’s Black Saturday, an ICM survey for tomorrow’s Sunday Telegraph puts the Conservatives on 43%; 7% ahead of Labour. ICM haven’t put the Conservatives at such a level since before Black Wednesday, in 1992. Such a result would give David Cameron’s Conservatives a single figure majority in the Commons. The LibDems would […]
I have not had this poll confirmed authoritatively but it comes from a usually good source. This Ipsos-MORI survey for The Sun suggests that the lead identified by YouGov at the weekend has been maintained. The Blackpool party conference bounce has hardened because of the effect of ‘Brown’s Black Saturday’. More in the morning… 8.15am […]
What stopped the autumn election? Which shadow cabinet minister performed best during the crucial period? What should the Conservatives do next? Click here to have your say in a special ConservativeHome.com readers’ survey on the ‘non-election’.
Over-interpretation of events is a real problem of our novelty-obsessed media. After recent events nearly all commentators within the Westminster village would be well-advised to avoid any rushes to judgement. Me included. At the start of the year there was media-encouraged despair in the Labour Party at the prospect of Brown succeeding Blair. Then over […]
Great insidery article by Rachel Sylvester in today’s Telegraph about divisions within Team Brown: "For years, so much attention was paid to the TB/GBs that nobody noticed the GB/GBs, but now the splits in the Brown camp are starting to emerge. Downing Street civil servants, observing it all from the high ground of political neutrality, […]
As noted on Friday, George Osborne’s inheritance tax announcement was crucial to the success of last week. It was cleverly-framed. Only millionaires would pay IHT under a Tory government and the raising of the threshold to £1m would be pay for by a £25,000pa tax on non-doms. The Shadow Chancellor has also had a good […]
Not verbatim unless in quotation marks… Overall view: The mood was sour. There has definitely been a cooling in the relationship between the lobby and the PM. PM confirms that he will not sit down at an EU table with Robert Mugabe and no "senior minister" will attend either. The Sun asks a question about […]
I’ve written for The Guardian’s Comment is free website about the election cancellation and its implications. Part of the article appears in the main newspaper but the whole text is republished below… "Was it Black Saturday for Brown? Yellow Saturday? Or Ratner Saturday? The blogosphere has thrown up a huge variety of names to mark […]
From today’s Times: "David Cameron and George Osborne have won the plaudits for overturning Labour’s lead and stopping an early general election. But it was Liam Fox, the Shadow Defence Secretary, who did the most personal damage to Gordon Brown and left him regretting that he had ever allowed speculation about an autumn election to […]
I’ve tagged yesterday’s (and today’s) threads as ‘Labour’s Black Saturday’. I’m hoping that it will be as iconic a setback for Brown as Black Wednesday was for John Major. The alternative ‘Yellow Saturday’ suggestion captures the weakness and cowardice of yesterday’s decision by the Prime Minister. Or, another idea that was left on a PoliticalBetting.com […]
I fear I’m about to ruin any slim chance I ever had of being invited on to the Sunday AM sofa but you can see why Gordon Brown chose Andrew Marr for the ‘election ain’t going to happen’ announcement. The questioning never put the Prime Minister on the spot in the way that the occasion […]
Today’s Observer: "Brown’s plans for his announcement were thrown into disarray when news of his decision was leaked to the Conservative Home website. This meant Cameron was able to broadcast his attack before Brown has a chance to explain himself on television. His interview with Marr was recorded in Downing Street yesterday afternoon for broadcast […]